Aaron Rodgers took a shot at comedian Jimmy Kimmel during Rodgers’ weekly spot on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday.
The late-night talk show host made it known that he won’t tolerate Rodgers’ jokes in no uncertain terms.
Rodgers mentioned Kimmel’s name in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein list, a soon-to-be-released document that is expected to provide the names of more than 150 people associated with the former hedge fund manager, who was arrested on trafficking charges. sexual in July. of 2019.
Naturally, that drew the ire of Kimmel, who not-so-subtly hinted that he would consider filing a defamation lawsuit against Rodgers if he continued to bring up Kimmel’s name in that manner.
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Rodgers and Kimmel have feuded in the past. Kimmel mocked Rodgers in March 2023 for insisting that UFO information be released to prevent Epstein’s list from becoming public.
“Maybe it’s time to revisit that concussion protocol,” Kimmel joked on his show after referring to Rodgers as a “crazy Packer.”
That exchange is likely what caused Rodgers to refer to Kimmel that way on Tuesday.
Still, Kimmel wasn’t amused by Rodgers’ comments. That could create a problem for ESPN even if it doesn’t follow through on its threats to take the veteran NFL quarterback to court.
Because? Because Kimmel works for ABC, which, like ESPN, is owned by Disney. The company certainly won’t be happy to see Rodgers, who earns nearly a million dollars a year for appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” attacking one of its most prominent public-facing entertainment figures.
So, there’s a lot to see in this feud between Kimmel and Rodgers as it simmers. Here’s what you need to know about it as it stands right now.
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Threat of lawsuit between Jimmy Kimmel and Aaron Rodgers
Kimmel’s threatened lawsuit against Rodgers came via a post on X (formerly Twitter) that highlighted what Rodgers had said about Kimmel and Epstein on McAfee’s show.
Kimmel then hinted that he might file a defamation lawsuit after Rodgers’ “reckless words” [his] family in danger.”
Dear Moron: For the record, I have not met Epstein, flown with him, visited him, had any contact with him, nor will you find my name on any “list” other than the clearly bogus nonsense they tell you. soft-brained fools like them. You yourself can’t seem to distinguish yourself from reality. Your reckless words put my family in danger. Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.
What did Aaron Rodgers say?
Rodgers’ comments about Kimmel were brief, but they were in reference to McAfee’s co-host, former Packers linebacker AJ Hawk, who asked about the impending release of Epstein’s list.
“There are a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, who really hope that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said, before adding, “If that list comes out, I’ll definitely be opening some kind of bottle.”
Rodgers’ response may well have been a joke and a dig designed to get back at Kimmel for his comments against Rodgers in March.
Still, the Jets quarterback will have to be a little careful with what he says. If he says Kimmel’s name is on that list without evidence, the comedian could build a defamation case around those comments.
For now, however, this dispute is limited to a verbal stab and an X-post.
Pat McAfee addresses the dispute between Aaron Rodgers and Jimmy Kimmel
McAfee had to confront the issue between Rodgers and Kimmel at the start of his show on Wednesday.
McAfee didn’t fully apologize for Rodgers’ comment and instead wrote it as an attempt at a “shitty joke.” That said, he acknowledged that he understood why Kimmel was offended by the joke given the severity of Epstein’s list.
“There is no formal outline of what we are going to talk about or how we are going to talk about it.” McAfee explained from Rodgers’ guest spot. “There’s just the opportunity to talk about almost everything for three and a half hours. And by doing that, the advantage of that is that some magic will happen that you never knew would happen… on the other hand, there may be some things.” That could certainly be, probably, and we’re going to have to hear from Aaron on that, that they are meant to be shitty jokes that then lead to a massive story overnight.
“But I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially with his position. But I think Aaron was just trying to talk shit. Now, did he go too far? Jimmy Kimmel certainly said that was the case. Us and I, immediately after it happened, tried to say, ‘ooh, ooh, ooh, no.’ But that’s Aaron and Jimmy.”
McAfee also detailed that he did not want to generate controversy or create negativity in his program. His goal is to make the program “uplifting.”
“We obviously don’t like the fact that we’re ever going to be associated with anything negative,” McAfee said. “We like our show to be uplifting, happy and fun. But it’s because we talk shit and try to make light of everything, some things obviously make people very angry, especially when the accusations are so serious.”
Kimmel has not yet responded to McAfee’s statement and it is unclear if he will.
What is Jeffrey Epstein’s list?
Epstein’s “list” is not actually a singular document. It is a collection of hundreds of documents from a lawsuit related to Epstein, a convicted sex offender. The documents will open sometime after January 1, 2024.
The decision to unseal the documents was made by US District Judge Loretta Preska. The process is expected to reveal alleged co-conspirators, alleged perpetrators and alleged victims and witnesses, according to ABC. The names of Epstein’s former employees will also be revealed as part of this, while a handful of names will remain sealed.
It is estimated that more than 150 names will be revealed once the list is published. They were all named as part of a civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre against Maxwell that has since been settled.
